1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to waste collectors, and more specifically to collectors of spray mist.
2. Description of Prior Art
Spray mist results from numerous industrial processes, and typically such mist is hazardous to human health, messy, and destructive towards the environment. For these reasons, numerous apparatus have been developed for containing waste liquid released during industrial process. However, no such apparatus, prior to the present invention, succeeds in fully collecting and containing waste spray in the manner and with the structure of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,352,356, issued to Victor N. Albertson, on Jun. 27, 1944, describes an auto parts washer. The washer is like a sink, in that it has a spray nozzle used to spray parts lying on a deck. There is no suction unit and there are no partitions for directing air flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,675,012, issued to Frank J. Scales, on Apr. 13, 1954, describes a washing assembly for automotive parts. The assembly is akin to a sink, in that it has a spray nozzle used to spray parts lying on a tier of trays. There is no suction unit and there are no partitions for directing air flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,058, issued to Albert Niedzielski et al., on Feb. 18, 1969, describes a mask washer including a closed container and a spray pump. There is no suction unit and there are no partitions for directing air flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,431, issued to David Dinerman, on Sep. 9, 1975, describes spray-gun cleaners in which spray guns are mounted for cleaning. There is no suction unit and there are no partitions for directing air and mist flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,560, issued to Herman U. Metzger, on Jul. 29, 1976, describes a parts washer having two pressurizable solvent tanks. Solvent is forced back and forth between the tanks, washing parts along the way. There is no suction unit and there are no partitions for directing air and mist flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,064, issued to John W. Vargo, on Mar. 23, 1982, describes a filter apparatus that can be used in a spray booth. The filter has a plurality of apertured sheets, some of which are corrugated. There is no suction unit and there are no partitions for directing air and mist flow in a curved manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,286, issued to Kyoshi Inoue, on Jun. 7, 1983, describes a splash control and liquid purifier. The apparatus of this patent magnetically traps ferrous particles from dirty machining liquid. There is no suction unit and there are no partitions for directing air and mist flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,102, issued to Ronald I. Blaul, on Sep. 1, 1992, describes a high pressure parts cleaner and method. The cleaner has a grit blaster, solvent spray nozzles, and a mechanism for neutralizing used solvent. There are no partitions for directing air and mist flow.
Published references, "The New Torit.RTM. Dryflo.TM. Mist Collector", Copyright 1993, and "Torit.RTM. Dryflo.TM. Mist Collectors", Copyright 1994, published by Donaldson Company, Inc., show filtration devices that receive waste material via a conduit from a separate, physically distant mist-collecting device. Thus, the titles of the references are misleading, inasmuch as the devices shown in the reference do not collect mist, but rather filter mist that has been collected by another mechanism, undisclosed. These published references do not show an apparatus that supports a device during spray cleaning, nor an apparatus that deflects, contains, and directs mist to an aperture where the mist is expelled.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.